Major League Baseball

WINNING & MUSING…VOLUME 2.24

I hadn’t planned on publishing an edition of W&M right now since I am already in football mode, with both the annual NFL Preview & College Pre-Season Top 25 on the horizon. However, The Olympics popped up and, despite my decision to ignore the event’s existence, life had other plans and now I have some things to get off my chest.

I did not watch the opening ceremonies of The Olympics. I had already decided I didn’t have much interest in the whole deal, and on that particular Friday night actually had plans (comedian Henry Cho at my beloved RGPAC). That being said, by now I assume most of us know all about it whether you watched or not. Look, I am not easily offended. Modern society drives me crazy with everyone being so triggered and seemingly looking for things to be upset about. But…but…the producers of that opening ceremony knew exactly what they were doing. Sure, it was a celebration of French history & culture. Fine. However, those so assuredly opining that the depiction of The Last Supper was instead a portrayal of The Feast of Dionysus were mostly wrong. It was an homage to Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper, with Dionysus making an appearance. An artistic mashup. No one can be sure of the intent or what is in the hearts of others, and perhaps Christians need to cool our jets a bit, but to deny that there were reasons for feathers to be ruffled is intellectually dishonest.

I am still young & hip enough to adapt to the changing tides of technology, but can’t help but empathize with older sports fans as the landscape expands and so much content moves to streaming channels. My father always loved watching our WV Mountaineers, but many of their games (particularly basketball) are now only available on streamers like ESPN+. I have an older neighbor who loves pro wrasslin’ (I know it’s not exactly a sport, but stick with me) and he’ll be lost when some WWE programming moves to Netflix next year. Thursday night NFL games are shown on Amazon Video, which will also be getting a piece of the NBA pie in the near future. A big chunk of the ongoing Olympics is on Peacock. I just ran across an article indicating that future NASCAR races will be split amongst multiple outlets, including Amazon. Streaming is no longer the future, it is the present. For elderly folks that means keeping track of a multitude of new & unfamiliar channels with varying price points that begin to add up, especially when living on a meager fixed income.

I’ve never been a huge fan of The Olympics. It always seemed odd to celebrate a bunch of sporting events every four years that we pay absolutely no attention to 99% of the time. Insomuch as I have watched thru the years, I usually prefer the Summer Games. I don’t care for winter or snow, and watching events like speed skating or skiing just makes me wonder “Aren’t those people cold??”. Summer though, has basketball, boxing, and gymnastics. Yes, I am confident enough in my smoldering machismo to admit that those talented performers vaulting and flinging themselves across uneven bars is impressive, and being from West Virginia means that I proudly watched Mary Lou Retton bring home the gold in 1984. However, either something has changed with many of these athletes or my perception has changed. Either way, patriotism & the honor of representing one’s country seems to have…devolved…atleast here in America. NBA players in the Olympics was cool when Magic, Jordan, Bird, and a plethora of future Hall of Famers steamrolled their way to basketball gold in 1992, but now, seeing a guy like Lebron James, who is his own biggest fan and didn’t hesitate to disrespect the American flag not that long ago, being chosen to carry that flag during the Opening Ceremonies simply leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Reading about all of the controversy involving the boxing competition just reinforces my negative attitude. There are so many conflicting opinions flying around that it’s difficult to nail down the actual truth, but as a sports fan such disputes ruin the appeal no matter what. Your mileage may vary, and that’s okay. If these Paris Games are providing you with hours of solid entertainment by all means enjoy, but I am glad to have other options.

Hey, my Pittsburgh Pirates are remaining slightly above .500 and, though a division title is quite unlikely, they are only a few games out in the chase for a wildcard spot. Do I believe they will make a post-season appearance for the first time in nearly a decade?? Of course not. I’m not even convinced those last couple of playoff berths…both one game & out situations…even count for much. However, as a lifelong fan who has suffered thru decades of irrelevance (mostly) since the Pirates last World Series victory in 1979, I will opine that it is nice to atleast have the illusion of opportunity this late into a season. It’s much better than cellar dwelling.

Let’s talk about rule changes in sports. We got a glimpse of the new NFL kickoff format during the Hall of Fame Game, and my first impression is that I don’t hate it. Give me a few more games to digest it and I will form a more conclusive opinion. A rule I know I don’t like though is MLB’s Ghost Runner, in which the team at bat during extra innings gets an automatic runner at second base that hasn’t been earned by any stretch, except for some kind of weird obsession to get the damn game over with so people can go home. I am a baseball purist who doesn’t appreciate attempts to alter a sport that’s been doing just fine for a century & and half, but also realize that technology evolves and society shifts in various directions, so I don’t complain about every little thing that changes. That being said, just giving teams a runner already in scoring position can significantly impact the outcome. It compromises the integrity of the game. Of course we’re talking about an entity that recognizes Barry Bonds as its All-Time Home Run King, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.

WINNING & MUSING…VOLUME 2.22

Greetings sports fans. We’re still talking about football, but there are a couple of other topics thrown into the mix as well. I hope the sun is shining wherever you are and cooler temperatures are giving way to the delightful warmth of spring.

Heavenly Father, bless Deshaun Watson, for he hath sinned. Now, I bet you think you know what I am referring to, but you’d probably be wrong. Don’t misunderstand…I am not looking past the allegations of sexual misconduct against Watson. However, a grand jury decided there wasn’t enough evidence to convict, so I am left with the impression that he is simply a single, wealthy horndog who enjoys a good massage a bit too much and expects favors many young ladies are not willing to grant. I believe he acted inappropriately, but to my knowledge no one was raped. Deshaun Watson may be creepy, but he’s not a criminal, and since I wasn’t exactly a saint when I was a 20-something I simply hope the young man learned his lesson, has been humbled, and will be better going forward. That being said, I cannot overlook the fact that Watson, who understandably wanted away from the dumpster fire that is the Houston Texans, ended up approving a trade to the Cleveland Browns. The Browns!! This dude could’ve gotten a new start in Carolina, Atlanta, or New Orleans…and he chose Cleveland!! Has he never heard of Tim Couch?? Colt McCoy?? Brady Quinn?? Brandon Weeden?? Hell, I could list two dozen more quarterbacks whose career died in The Factory of Sadness. I’ve been a big fan of Deshaun Watson since his days at Clemson, and I was counting on him to lead my dynasty fantasy team for the next decade, but I can’t cheer for the QB of the Browns, so I traded him for multiple draft picks. Thanks for nothing you moron.

Baseball’s Opening Day has finally arrived. As a lifelong Pirates’ fan it is difficult for me to be as excited as some of y’all might be, but it is a cultural touchstone and an unofficial (late) welcome to spring, so I am happy to embrace the event in the spirit in which it is intended. Pirates games are soothing background noise while I read a book or mindlessly scroll on my phone, so atleast I have that going for me for the next six months, which is nice.

I might have more thoughts on the NFL Draft before April 28, but for now let me offer one strong opinion. If my Pittsburgh Steelers mortgage the future to move up & select a quarterback who is far from certain to be a generational talent then the powers-that-be are absolute fools. I don’t think any quarterback in this draft is worthy of a first round pick, and I’m not sure any of them will be that successful in the NFL. I would prefer to see the Steelers address numerous other issues and ride with free agent signee Mitch Trubisky for a season (or two). If that means a couple of losing seasons before rebounding into perennial playoff contention for another long stretch then I’m okay with it. They’ve done a surprisingly good job of improving the offensive line this offseason, and I feel like they’re a wide receiver & perhaps some defensive depth away from being way better than anyone expects, but that isn’t a good enough reason to reach for a rookie quarterback in the draft.

Congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks for winning the NCAA Basketball National Championship. To be honest this year’s March Madness wasn’t all that memorable or compelling, although there were some decent games & exciting moments. The tournament felt kind of like cotton candy though…tastes sweet for a few fleeting seconds then melts away into nothingness. After all the hype about Gonzaga and upsets by underdogs like St. Peter’s & Miami (FL) the title game came down to Kansas & North Carolina…two blue-bloods despite the Tar Heels’ misleading #8 seed. As a fan there simply wasn’t anything to keep my attention outside of Coach K’s retirement. The title game being on TBS was weird, and not even One Shining Moment felt like Must See TV.

It looks like Tiger Woods, a little over a year after suffering career threatening injuries in a car accident, will play in The Masters. As a fan I am excited to see him in the field, although expectations are obviously minimized. No one expects him to contend or even make the cut. As a human being I am fascinated by his redemption & comeback story. The sins of Tiger Woods are well-documented, but I am certainly not inclined to throw stones. The fact is that Woods in The Masters is good for golf and good for sports. If only my man Phil Mickelson were playing in the tournament 🤦🏻‍♂️…but that’s a whole other story.

Speaking of basketball, it is my understanding that the NBA Playoffs will begin soon. I have no idea who the odds on favorites are or which teams may or may not be in the field. I believe I heard or read that the Los Angeles Lakers will miss the playoffs altogether, which makes me chuckle. Lebron James can pucker up & kiss my crippled fat ass *lol*.

I suppose I have to address the Tom Brady situation. God knows I’d rather not think about the dude, much less write about him. At any rate, first Adam Schefter broke the news that TB12 was retiring, then Brady’s Dad was like “not so fast”, then a few days later Brady did post a retirement announcement on Instagram, because I guess that’s how it’s done nowadays. But wait…there’s more!! Like Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert, Tom Brady spent 40 days in retirement before resurrecting his career. Much like Halloween‘s Michael Myers, the Clintons, and numerous rock bands who are my grandfather’s age, Brady just won’t go away. The only good to come out of this is the fact that Ben Roethlisberger won’t be forced into the background during the Hall of Fame festivities five years from now.

An Honest Evaluation of the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates

Monday September 23, 2013 was the perfect microcosm of the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates and my feelings about their season. The Pirates had just defeated the Chicago Cubs and the talking heads on Root Sports seemed to be finishing up their coverage as usual when they made mention that they were going to remain on the air for awhile longer. I forget exactly what was said but there seemed to be some vibe of anticipation. I soon found out that if the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Washington Nationals the Pirates would clinch a wild card spot and play in the post-season for the first time in over two decades. But wait…I was confused. We are hoping that the Cardinals win?? Huh?? At the time the Pirates were only 2 games behind the Cards with five games remaining. A division title was still very much within reach. Tough yes…but more than doable. A Cardinals loss that night would have cut the lead down another half game, and yet here Pirate Nation was hoping for a Nationals loss so we could be assured atleast a 3^rd place finish. After the Cards won and the wild card was clinched the Pirates’ players & coaches were shown in the locker room jumping & screaming and popping champagne bottles as if they’d just won The World Series, when in reality all they’d won was 3^rd place. Not only was I left cold, I was viscerally angry. Champions don’t celebrate 3^rd place.

As it turns out the Pirates ended up finishing second in the division and hosted the Cincinnati Reds in MLB’s new play-in game. I guess they officially classify it as the first round of the playoffs, but let’s be honest…it’s a play-in game and shouldn’t really be considered part of the playoffs. Even though the Pirates won that contest I have still decided that I am not a fan of this play-in game. I bet fans of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians would agree. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig escapes being the biggest joke in professional sports only because that idiot Roger Goodell exists. I’ll be ecstatic when they both go away. The Pirates went on to lose a divisional playoff series to the Cardinals in 5 games. The two games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh saw boisterous sold-out crowds who had been starving for success on the baseball field for so long that they were deliriously happy to support their Buccos, but unfortunately the last of those sell-outs went to waste when the Pirates ran into a buzz saw named Michael Wacha, a rookie pitcher who threw a 1 hitter and pushed the series to a deciding 5^th game in St. Louis. I knew then that the season was over. That Game 4 was the golden opportunity to move on and it didn’t happen. There was no way that the Cardinals were going to lose an elimination game at home with ace Adam Wainwright on the mound. Zero chance.

So now the Pirates’ season is over and the question is…can it be defined as being successful?? There are 30 teams in Major League Baseball and only 1 of them is left standing holding the World Series trophy, so by definition 29 teams fall short of the goal. However, for many there are various levels of success. For the Pirates ending two decades of futility and playing post-season baseball for the first time since I was in college and Bill Clinton was in The White House should certainly qualify as a huge step in the right direction. The years of completely rebuilding over & over again look like they are done. A solid foundation is in place and now it is just a matter of doing some tweaking. I am reading a lot of things in the news and on social media about the Pirates great season and I cannot argue the point. But at the same time I do not think that they are yet on the level of really good teams like the Cardinals, Braves, Red Sox, Yankees, & Dodgers. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Pittsburgh Pirates get over the hump and win their division in 2014…but I’d be equally as unsurprised if they win 82 games and finish in 4^th place, which a year ago would have been acceptable but a year from now just won’t be satisfactory. Now is the time for the front office, the players, the coaches, and the fans to decide…is this good enough?? Is it okay to have a winning record & secure a wild card but have no realistic opportunity to genuinely compete with the truly elite teams?? I mean sure, it beats finishing in the cellar, being the butt of jokes, and the season essentially being over by the All-Star break. But I guess I am a bit greedy. I want more. I sincerely believe this team can achieve more.

I think the Pirates can do better than having 36 year old AJ Burnett, with a 10-11 record and a 3.3 ERA, as the ace of their pitching staff. Gerritt Cole needs to seize that role and become the Pittsburgh equivalent of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, or Clayton Kershaw. I give the suits credit for pulling the trigger on trades that brought first baseman Justin Morneau and outfielder Marlon Byrd to Pittsburgh, but both are band-aids at best. Byrd has reached the end of a 1 year contract but I wouldn’t mind seeing him stick around another season as an extra bat. Morneau, on the other hand, seems far removed from the skill & talent he had when named the American League MVP in 2006 and I am not sure he is worth the price tag or a roster spot. I think the Pirates can do better than oft-injured 34 year old pitcher Wandy Rodriguez. I think the Pirates can do better than Jose Tabata’s .282 batting average & 6 home runs. I think they can do better than players like shortstop Clint Barmes and pitcher Charlie Morton. If my information is correct then Burnett, Morneau, & Rodriguez are the highest paid players on the team and all are expendable. That isn’t a bad thing.

There is a solid nucleus in place for a good long run: outfielders Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Andrew Lambo, & Garret Jones, infielders Neil Walker, Gaby Sanchez, & Pedro Alvarez, catchers Russell Martin (the best free agent the Pirates have signed in many years) & Tony Sanchez, and pitchers Cole, Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon, & Jason Grilli. Jettisoning those three highest paid players that I mentioned would free up over $43 million, part of which I would use to sign a big time third baseman. Alvarez can hit the snot out of the ball but is a defensive liability so a move to first base might not be a bad idea. The jury is still out on 26 year old shortstop Jordy Mercer. He had his moments in 2013, hitting .285 with 8 home runs, but if the opportunity to upgrade presented itself I’d go for it. And of course another arm…or two…or three…would be helpful. 21 year old right hander Jameson Taillon is expected to be a stud and would be a welcome addition to the rotation in 2014.

At the end of the day I realize that I am in the minority. I am glad that the losing streak is over and my favorite team is headed in a positive direction. I am happy for the players and the fans that there was playoff baseball in Pittsburgh this October. I really like Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. I realize there is good reason for much optimism. But part of me is holding back and there are two reasons. First, two decades of futility have beaten me up to the point that I need to see another year of this success to wrap my head around its validity. As mentioned, in my mind it is just as likely that the Pirates take a step backward as it is they improve in 2014. And secondly, I cannot get that September 23^rd champagne celebration out of my head. I cannot overstate how much that bothered me. Is this a team that is satisfied with a wild card?? Do we really want to have to roll the dice on a one game all-or-nothing scenario again?? Or will this team add some pieces and develop the championship mentality of the best teams in sports wherein nothing but being in The World Series will do?? We’ll see.

Pirates’ Cole doesn’t lament loss (stltoday.com)
Proud to be a Pirates Fan (fromforbestofederal.com)
Raising the Jolly Roger (iheartpgh.com)
Cardinals beat Pirates 6-1 in Game 5 to win NLDS (sacbee.com)
Wednesdays not too great in Pirates history (stltoday.com)
A.J. Burnett, Gerrit Cole (bigstory.ap.org)
Rejuvenated Liriano leading Pirates (bigstory.ap.org)
Kovacevic: An end, but also a new beginning (triblive.com)

Winning & Musing…..Volume 1.11

The inaugural edition of the Winning & Musing finds us close to one of the saddest times of the year…the end of another football season.

First let me congratulate the Auburn Tigers on winning the NCAA National Championship. I have my opinions on why and how college football should have a playoff, but for now we are stuck with the BCS and I must admit that once again it worked about as well as it can. Did undefeated TCU get the shaft?? Probably. Could Stanford and Wisconsin have come out on top if given the opportunity?? Maybe. But at the end of the day the two teams that the majority would agree were most deserving met in the big game. It didn’t quite play out as expected and wasn’t as exciting as we’d all hoped, but it was a decent enough contest.

For those who might be wondering, and without diving into a detailed breakdown & analysis, I went 16-19 in my bowl picks. When I was on I was dead on, and when I was off I was way way off.

I cannot leave college football without one last plea to whomever from the NCAA might happen to be reading. Can we PLEASE eliminate some of these bowl games?? You don’t want to have a playoff?? Fine. But atleast implement one part of my Plan to Save College Football (find it in The Archives). 6-6 teams should not play in the post-season, bowl season should end on New Year’s Day or atleast by the 2^nd or 3^rd of January, and some of these bowl names are utterly horrendous. I didn’t bother to look at TV ratings, but I don’t imagine anyone but the most die hard of football fans were interested in watching Middle Tennessee play Miami, OH in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on January 6^th.

The matchup for Super Bowl XLV (that’s 45 for those of you in Mingo County) is set. It will be two of the NFL’s most historic franchises battling it out…the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Green Bay Packers. Vegas has made the Packers early 2.5 point favorites based on…well, apparently nothing tangible since Pittsburgh has been the better team all season. I cannot be a non-partisan voice of reason due to the fact that the success of the Pittsburgh Steelers is so high on my priority list that it ranks only below my own well being, my faith in God and my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, and the safety & happiness of my puppy, but I really do find it amusing that so many people are jumping on the Packer bandwagon and overlooking the team that has won 2 out of the past 5 Super Bowls. That disrespect may just be the extra morsel of motivation my Steelers need.

Is it just me, or do the Lamar Hunt/George Halas trophies…given to the teams that win the conference championship in the AFC & NFC respectively…look like $20 pieces of aluminum one could buy at a kiosk in the middle of your local shopping mall??